And so the battle has been won.
Who would have thought that the #newbridgeornowhere hashtag would find such prominence on Twitter after the GAA decided that Kildare v Mayo in Round 3 of the football qualifiers would form part of a Croke Park double-header alongside Cavan v Tyrone?
Lilywhites boss Cian O'Neill told RTÉ Sport Monday night that his players would not be anywhere but Newbridge on this Saturday night. And so the stand-off began. Just before midday on Wednesday, the GAA relented in their stance, happy in the knowledge that St Conleth's Park with a capacity of 8,200 is up to staging this back-door clash.
Both Kildare and Mayo County Committees will receive 1,500 tickets each for club distribution. The remainder will be used to meet the needs of players, season ticket holders and sponsors.
Tickets will be scarce, but fans and players can now focus minds on what will happen between the white lines of the Newbridge venue.
@martym_RTE reports from Newbridge where there is a sense of 'mission accomplished' after a resolution was found to #newbridgeornowhere stand-off #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/aTX1VK36z2
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) June 27, 2018
Speaking on 2fm's Game On, former Lilywhites star Johnny Doyle said the right decision was arrived at.
"In fairness to the GAA, someone had to blink and they did the right thing," he explained.
"There was a swell of support within Kildare and beyond for the stance that was taken.
"Having Kildare togged out in Newbridge and Mayo togged out in Croke would not have been ideal. The Association is everybody. We are all members and nobody wanted to see a farce. What would have happened? Would the championship have been held up? Would Kildare have gone down the legal route?
"It's the best result all round.
"Now we have the scramble for tickets. It's like an All-Ireland final in Kildare. The phone is hopping with people asking for tickets. They are going to be like hen's teeth."
Crucially, Doyle believes whole saga will be a plus for Kildare as they look to lower Mayo's colours on Saturday evening.
"It has glavanised the county because the league didnt go well and things weren't great after we lost to Carlow," he added.
"I think a the team has learned from the wins over Derry and Longford. Getting Neil Flynn back is a real bonus and a couple of injuries have cleared up. Mayo have their injury concerns.
"Kildare have a bit of momentum behind them now and I believe training has gone well this week in spite of the distractions."
